Who is Dawn Budelman? Woman, 59, from upstate New York who lied about being raped charged for raping minor male
STOCKPORT, NEW YORK STATE: A woman, 59, who had claimed to be a rape victim has been arrested and reportedly charged with filing a false police report, as well as performing a sexual act with a boy under the age of 17. Columbia county sheriff’s office said she had earlier told the police that she had been forcibly raped by a male who had entered her residence on February 28.
On March 1, 2021, Deputy Sheriff Brian McSween of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the incident. However, an extensive investigation by criminal investigator Joshua Oakes of the sheriff’s office special victim’s unit, which included multiple interviews, collection of evidence, and an examination at Columbia Memorial Hospital, has reportedly concluded that a forcible rape did not occur.
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Who is Dawn Budelman?
Budelman, who lives in Stockport, New York, was arrested on March 25, 2021, at 2:00 pm. As per the police, she performed a sexual act on a minor male under the age of 17. As per the sheriff's office, she and the victim know each other.
Budelman now faces charges of third-degree rape for engaging in sexual intercourse with a person who is less than 17 years old, endangering the welfare of a child, along with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree and making a punishable false written statement.
Budelman was reportedly arraigned before Stockport judge Malcolm Smalley and was released on her own recognizance. Budelman is due to return to court on May 3, 2021, at 6:00 pm. An "order of protection" -- also known as a restraining order -- was issued by Judge Smalley.
As per the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the prevalence of false reporting on sexual assault is between two percent and ten percent. "Research shows that rates of false reporting are frequently inflated, in part because of inconsistent definitions and protocols," the resource center said. "It does not mean that some form of sexual assault may not have occurred, but only that from the legal perspective... the case does not meet the legal criteria, or it is 'baseless'.”
Anyone with further information related to the crime has been urged to contact Senior Investigator Mark Dunspaugh, who supervises the Special Victims Unit which is assigned to investigate reported sex offenses and elder abuse within Columbia County, and works with Columbia County Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services, at 518-828-3344.